Into the mists
by Tzaotao
Summary: First sequel to "Kyubi on the loose": Naruto is being shipped to Kirigakure for protection, read as he faces opposing feelings, torn clans, intrigue and war! All in the land of Water and beyond!  Will contain different genres and heavy NaruHina hints
1. Chapter 1

Into the Mists

Try not to get lost…..

* * *

><p>(Land of waves, Nami no Kuni)<p>

As she trudged through the streets of the small fishing village, Hinata didn't care whether or not there were ninja watching her every move, she was just too upset.

Here she had worried herself sick with how things would go down between her and Naruto…. And then he had asked her to repeat what she said back then… that she loved him…. BECAUSE HE DIDN'T REMEMBER!

At the moment she was just wanted to scream, but generations of good Hyuga breeding and a very strict father had assured that such a thing could not happen, even in such a dire situation such as the current scenario. Hinata wished dearly for a moment that it was not so and she could have told Naruto a thing or two about empathy and respecting other people's feelings and listening and understanding and ….. after said moment was done, she inwardly chided herself for thinking such things, Hinata wouldn't trade her family for the world even if they weren't the most well functioning within it.

Remembering what she had been thinking about a moment prior she continued her solo whining over Naruto's lacks and vices. A very long list now that she thought of it: Stupidity, laziness, infantilism, boisterousness, loud, pervertion, sloppiness, complaining, short-sightedness, pride, reckless, daring, trickery….. All the things that made him… Him. Hinata stopped and pondered over the last part, starring down into the ground, yet looking inward into why things were as they were: Having everyone against him, and yet having not given up had made her fall for him in the first place. She deeply admired him because he had all these flaws and yet he had never really had to admire her in return. All things taken into account, she knew it was not his fault for being stupid and infantile, nor that she had fallen for him…..

BUT HE SHOULD HAVE REMEMBERED REGARDLESS!

Resuming her pace, Hinata walked very determinedly back to rejoin her resting comrades.

* * *

><p>(Near the coast of Nami no Kuni)<p>

Having ones face and clothing repeatedly splashed and soaked in seawater made most men angry or at least agitated. Sa-do just smiled

He always did,

Some believed he could keep on smiling forever, some knew better. Sa-do Toushou knew much better. Scratching in one of his ever deepening wrinkles, he stared towards the Island nation of Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves), he didn't look forward to what he had to do, travelling all the way to another country just to retrieve some cargo and then be on your merry way, just never seemed right to him. Yet what kept him smiling wasn't some peculiar trait he had inherited from his grandfather, the great Sengo (no one called him with his highly accurate surname: "the Mad", around Sa-do), it was what the cargo was that exited him. Even though the whole business was utter madness and highly foolhardy, Sa-do could in a sense…. "Approve" of it.

Besides it was a chance for him to reopen a chapter of his life he had thought closed forever. Yet looking back at his two students, Kenji and Kenshiki, he briefly pondered if it was for the better that they be burdened with having part in it. The girl, Kenshiki had every right to be a part of it, almost as much as he himself, but…..

Sighing, Sa-do resumed his jolly vigil at the stem of the boat, looking towards the shore that their vessel was swiftly approaching; he mulled the situation over once more: Konoha Jinchuriki captured after weeks of running wild, all 5 Kage gathered to discuss what they should do about it and Akatsuki and so forth.

In short the whole situation was a smoking powder keg, and he was aimed for the centre of it!

Or, as he told himself, very, very near…. Brush by and then leave before somebody thinks you're doing something funny. Not that he would mind a little battle but…. orders were orders and the runner-up (he couldn't bring himself to call Ureshi anything else currently) had explicably stated that he was to cause no problems, at all! Which frankly made him wish he had received further instructions after he set out. He had heard nothing since the storm had surprised them yesterday… suffice to say he was getting anxious.

What was happening?

* * *

><p>Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade thought about the recent development of things: Naruto had agreed to be sent away from Konoha for an undisclosed time, and they were to do something about Akatsuki…. She had backed Gaara in his suggestion that they form a united front against the terrorist group and annihilate them together, a suggestion not approved by from the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage nor by the Raikage whom had smashed a table and insulted them all severely. Tsunade had let it slide as he had seemed highly preoccupied at the time, she guessed she would have been as well, had Nawaki still been alive…. Yet again, it had been quite sometime since Kirabi had been captured, so she wagered that he was dead at the moment, but given her streak of winnings he was most likely alive and well, having escaped Akatsuki…. And Sasuke whom had apparently abducted him.<p>

Sighing she remembered all the scolding she had received from A for that. He held her responsible for not declaring him a Missing-nin and kill him off immediately before he could do any damage. She had tried to reason with him that they tried to retrieve him in secrecy and that it had failed due to Orochimaru having a hand in it, but it hadn't helped. Actually quite the opposite, he had ragged even harder afterwards about Konoha's incompetence when it came to retrieving their Missing-nin and so forth. He had shut up when she had retaliated and mentioned the Kin-Gin brothers and Kumo's lack of dealing with them during the First Shinobi World War, after which they had nearly come to blows when the Raikage's assistant had walked in to inform him that they had picked up a lead.

Sighing loudly, Tsunade remembered the one thing she hated more than paperwork in her duties at the Hokage, dealing with other countries. Or rather, their leaders. Each of the Kage puzzled her in some way,

The Raikage, A, was a loudmouthed ill-tempered engine of destruction only bent on flexing his muscles so hard that the world shook and yelling so loud that no one misunderstood that he was the boss.

The Tsuchikage, (that is: appointed Tsuchikage, as she had recently learned, or 4th. Tsuchikage candidate) Keikoku Koutetsu, on the other hand, seemed content with acting like the world belonged to her and that people would eventually see things her way.

The self styled 11th. Mizukage, (correctly the 5th. Mizukage candidate) Ureshii Bushuugi, was a quavering card house ready to collapse at the mention of wind and loudly and much too often reminding the world of it. He was the one who got on Tsunade's nerves the most. He, the candidate Tsuchikage and the Raikage were all in this whole business because they wanted either revenge or just wanted to make sure that the Biju wouldn't be used against them later on. Selfish lot really.

As for her "dear" ally of the Sand, Gaara, the 5th. Kazekage, was entirely in it to secure peace amongst the nations and to ensure that no more blood was shed needlessly. Tsunade wondered how he would react when the other Kage eventually howled for just that to happen…..

Sighing again, Tsunade poured herself another cup of sake and emptied it in one gulp, savouring the warm alcohol as it went down her throat, thinking her coming predicament: That Naruto had to be shipped to Kirigakure as soon as Sa-do Toushou arrived to guard him on the trip there, she quickly poured herself another one.

* * *

><p>"Boooooooooooooriiiiiiiing!" Naruto said inwardly, cursing the lack of food or company, or any comforting company for that matter, as he was still behind heavy guard and some freaky guy in a poncho had just walked into the room, flanked by two Kiri-nin.<p>

Almost as soon as the door had closed behind him and his companions, the freaky guy removed his hood to reveal a spiky ponytail and a face set in a frown with almost totally open eyes, starring intently at Naruto, or at his abdomen. As soon as Naruto realised this he became ever more worried, trying to sit up in his borrowed bed, only to be stopped as the freaky man yelled out:

"Don'tstandupinthebed, please!" both palms held out towards Naruto, as the man slowly walked towards the bed, obviously trying to calm him down.

As he reached his destination he cautiously drew a chair and sat down on it, levelling his eyes with Naruto's, and began to speak:

"Hello! Sorry for the…. Outburst before, but there is no need for you to be up and active just yet, especially in your condition…."

"My condition? What do you mean, poncho-man?"

Staring at Naruto a moment before replying, the newcomer shifted slightly in his seat.

"Perhaps an introduction is in order….." he hegan…..

"We can do that later, What do you mean, Condition?" Staring furiously into the man that sat opposite him, Naruto saw him shift even more as the last of the echo died down in the small room.

Drawing a deep breath, the poncho-man closed his eyes for a moment to consider how to answer

"The seal that hold the Kyubi inside you is heavily damaged, we need to repair it" a moment to study Naruto's shocked face was enough for the poncho-man to see that his words had taken root. A split second more and Narutpo would have risen in a panic, had he not been taken in the uptake.

"And that is why I am here. My name is Ureshii Bushuugi, I am the 11th. Mizukage and I will be responsible for the repairing for the seal, do you understand?"

Ureshii had expected the Jinchuriki to nod slowly, so his reaction of yelling and demanding quick action took him slightly by surprise, causing him to trip on his chair and having to depend on his bodyguard to prevent him from falling, a task they failed in. Miserably so.

Dusting his poncho off, Ureshii stared mad eyed at his patient a moment before sitting down on his chair again.

And then taking a moment before his seals were in place to secure the Jinchuriki, just in case he did such a thing again.

"Well? When do we start Mizukage-nii-sama?"

Cringing slightly at the familiarity of the honorific Nii (big brother), Ureshii began to correct him

"It's just Mizukage-Sama! And we start immediately!"

"Good, lay it on me! I can take it 'ttbyo!" The boy actually sounded excited of the prospect of extreme pain, the Mizukage candidate mused, almost amusingly. He wasn't a cruel man in his own eyes, but stupidity was always fun, especially when the stupid ones were proven wrong.

Then activating the seals he placed from before, much to his patient's displeasure, he began to prepare for the heart trembling task of repairing the seal, partially at least.

"Wait a minute…. Did you say 11th.? What the hell happened?"

Caught off guard by this technically innocent question, he mused for a moment over his reasoning for styling himself as such. Basically: it was as to not alienate the clan's whom had had runners up for the position of first, second, third, fourth and fifth Mizukage respectively. Deciding against that, Ureshii just replied

"Politics"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Sighing loudly, Ureshii decided against replying, instead motioning to the hunter-nin he had brought along. A moment later said hunter-nin's knuckle connected soundly with Naruto's temple, knocking him out cold.

Finally relaxing, the Mizukage candidate cut through Naruto's t-shirt, revealing the seal beneath. Cracking his knuckles and flexing his fingers, Ureshii began the simple task of setting the first set of wards to hold the seal in check until he could start to really restore if not improve the seal that held the Kyubi in place.

* * *

><p>Seething anger seemed to emanate from the young woman at her side.<p>

Seeing her old classmate like this made Sakura worried. True, Hinata hadn't snapped at anyone yet but the soundless moves she tended to make as she just sat there at the side of the street, hugging her knees and starring intently ahead of her while at the same time rocking slightly in her seat. Considering these factors, Sakura watched silently as this routine of rocking happened a few times, nothing besides that, before she chose to act.

Admittedly, just sitting next to someone angry over something unknown, doesn't help much, nether did the hand on the shoulder and the understanding look in her eyes directed at her friend. when she asked if there was something she wanted to talk about, Hinata just shruggered and went back to her routine.

Sakura sighed inwardly and withdrew her arm. thinking that her friend needed more time to brood.

* * *

><p>Looking down at the young boy, it was evident that he had seen better days. A little dried blood around his stomach and several newly aplied seals over older ones, not to mention several bruises at his temples, as if he had been knocked out repeatedly, all partially covered by the blanket that had been thrown over him in a untide heap, summed up his current state.<p>

Snorting prominently, Choku Wani, head of the Wani clan of Kirigakure, took up the only chair in the room, and sat cautiously down on the petite furniture, arms folded. Oh how he missed his old couch, that actually had room for his large body, in stark contrast to the frilly ass-parkinglot that had apparently been made for midgets. Thinking it over he wondered how the Third Tsuchikage was doing, problably horrible given that he had actually called for a substitute for his duties.

Shaking his head violently, Chokui pushed these thoughts aside, concentrating on the young boy in front of him. He had been told that the fox kid, or Naruto as the young Hyuga knucklehead had insisted he be called, would be put in Kiri custody from now on. Choku was by nature not an protection minded individual, more offensive infact (mowing down any opposition would cause a certain lack of people needing protection in his eyes), yet he smiled to himself as he thought of the possibilities. He had seen the damage he had done to Konohagakure and he could only imagine how strong he was when rested and in good health. He looked forward to seeing what he was capable off in a figth.

Knowing full well what Ureshii most likely had in mind, He chuckled to himself, forgetting what he was sitting on and leaned back.

The crash of splintering wood would normally have allerted the guards outside, if not for the subsecuent stream of harsh curse words that made them cover their ears.

* * *

><p>Making his way quickly towards the Hokage's position, Ureshii went over his proposition one more time, taking into mind how Princess Tsunade would react at his little challenge, angrily, no doubt.<p>

He hadn't recieved word from Sa-do-san yet, but he was confident that he would arrive at any minute now.

Mulling it over a fourth and then a fifth time, he smiled to himself and almost did a little tap dance on the spot, he had just realised that he may have turned the whole situation around. Things were actually lookin really good for him.

* * *

><p>Showing her head full of the cheap cherries and sour tasting soy pork did little to improve the Tsuchikage candidate's mood. Keikoku Koutetsu always dulled her bad mood (and celebrated any other mood for the matter) with a good healthy double serving that usually was enough for a family of 5. And this time was no exception. Or at least "partially" not an exception.<p>

She kept telling herself that it was only a temporary setback for her plans. Oshi would see to that, he rarely dissapointed her and for that she was grateful. Yet he had done so alot recently, but that was to be expected with so many unforeseen factors suddenly making an entrance. Who would honestly had known the Konoha Jinchuriki would be so dumb as to choose Kiri over Iwa?

these things were what happened when a tool was allowed to decide anything, Oshi was not to blame for the foolishness of Konoha and Suna and as such she had forgiven him when he came to her begging for it, bringing a suitable recommendation of choice meats, rice, noodles and fine sake.

Unfurtunately this meal had been meagre enough to only last for a few minutes and she was now both impatient and dissapointed as she considered how she should punish him for making her consume this local... Grub!

* * *

><p>"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" the Hokage's response was as Ureshii had expected: outraged!at the moment she just starred angrily at him from couch, at the opposite end of the small table sat the young Kazekage, also giving him a peculiar stare, as if he had just said he would go and sprout another head from his lower back.<p>

"You have got to be joking? There is no way in the world I'll allow this, not now!" Tsunade continued

"It will improve relations between the villages!" Ureshii began, yet he spoke in vain, Tsunade would hear none of it

"I said: NO! and that is final, Mizukage Candidate-kun!" Tsunade retorted with a tone capable of freezing a volcano

Backing away from the angry woman, Ureshii turned to leave

"I just came by to tell you I'll give the Jinchuriki the opportunity, you can't deny it if he wants to, can you?" and with that he was gone before any loose furniture hit him in the back

Starring furiously ahead of her, Tsunade muttered a curse and hoped it would hit the younger man that had just left, before angrily turning her attention towards the even younger man in the room

Starring back at her, the young Kage opened his mouth to speak

"Naruto is going to do it you know, there is no way he would pass this kind of chance up"

leaning back and trying to silence her anger, Tsunade turned her head upwards and stared at the ceiling, arms folded and exhaled a bit of her anger out of the system

"I know, and I don't like it, Ureshii-kun got a goal with this preposterous idea of his, and Naruto is going to say ´yes´ the moment he gets the offer"

"But do you know what his goal is?" Gaara enquired concern in his face, this was no formal matter, it could easily escalate into a matter of life or death.

"I got several ideas, but I'm not sure of any of them at the moment. Prestige, retaliation or perhaps he's actually being honest about the whole improvements between villages thing" stretching her arms and yawning Tsunade leaned further back into the couch, letting herself be envelloped by the soft pillows and had the Kazekage not been present she would undeniably have been asleep already. Watching him across the table, he simply nodded and rose to leave the room, granting her some much needed rest.

As she dozed off she briefly wondered about how this would turn out. Naruto would problably surpice everyone somehow, he always did.

At the moment this was the only constant that she could be sure of.

* * *

><p>Finally reaching shore, Sa-do moved his frozen shoulders around to bring back some heat into them before he jumped into the chilling sea water to waddle the lsat few meters unto the beach.<p>

Briefly wondering where he was supposed to go after this point, he was swiftly greeted by one of his country men, a young man with pale hair in the usual stribed sweater common amongst denizins of Mizu No Kuni (Land of Water), nice and warm clothing that he envied him, feeling the evening wind through his soaked clothes. yet he smilled friendly at him, nodding a greetibg at the approaching young man.

"Toushou-san?"

nodding Sa-do replied:"Just Sa-do-san will do, who are you?"

"My name is Tetsu sir, and I've been ordered to lead you and you team to my superior: Ue-sama" bowing in respect Tetsu awaited the two other members of Sa-do's team to waddle up on the shore, tired and shivering from the cold that quickly gripped their light frames, the two young chunin looked back at him in the gloom, urging him into action.

Understanding their plight, Tetsu quickly led them to their destination.

the trip took only a few minutes but it alowed the newly arrived to get some warmth back into their limbs. when they reached tetsu's superior they were almost breathing hard.

Bowing stifly in respect, Tetsu announced their arrival

"Ue-sama, Sa-do Toushou-san have arrived with his team"

"Good Tetsu, lead them in, I want a word with Sa-do-san before he meets up with the Kage" Standing arms crossed behind his back he bowed before the Toushou clanhead as he walked in under the roof that sheltered the porch from the elements.

"Welcome to Nami No Kuni Sa-do-san, I hope the journey was not too rough"

"Not at all Ue-kun, it was delightful!" Sa-do reply made both his students cringe and stare at his back dumbfound, their Sensei's optimism never seased to amaze them, a fact not unnoticed by Ue, who unfortunately for them: Didn't care one bit.

"What do you need us for, Ue-kun, it seems you have the place locked up tight, I saw three strip-seaches on the way here!" Sa-do was not by nature a impatient man, but he did not see much reason for dallying

"Unfortunately the situation have changed slightly Sa-do-san, it have been decided that the Jinchuriki being guarded shall contínue to be so under Kiri's care"

Nodding in understanding, Sa-do awaited Ue's continuation

"And the Mizukage wants you to guard him personally"

Nodding again, Sa-do just smiled and looked forward to some extra help at the smithy

"and Mizukage also wants to talk to you about another pressing matter, He did not specify"

looking up from under his strawhat, Sa-do looked puzzled for a moment, wondering what Ureshii wanted off him aside from guarding the Kyubi Jinchuriki. Shruggering he decided to wait until he was told. Instead he choose to ask a few different questions

"So Ue-kun, how is this jinchuriki I'm going to be guarding?"

"From what I can understand, he's a he, blond, dumb, genin and treated properly"

"You mean kicked and showed like a stray dog?" Sa-do almost dropped his trademark smile, as a swordsmith he didn't like seeing weapons mistreated in any way that was unfair.

"Éxactly!" Ue practically beamed at the conclusion to the unneccesary questions, deciding to to take any chances and showing Sa-do and his student the way to the Mizukage's temporary quarters.

* * *

><p>A muffled moan came forth from the tangled heap of blanket, pillow and random body part sticking out from it, insinuating that the owner of said bodyparts had awakened. Tossing aroung to free him self from the tangle of bedclothing, Naruto felt a sudden sharp pain in his head, causing him to hold a hand up to it, feeling a bump where there shouldn't be.<p>

"Ooooowww!" he said to himself as he rubbed the sore spot, wondering where that had come from, before remembering that one of the mizukage's companions had knocked him out, before feeling a sharp pain in his head, spreading out, making his whole head hurt. Had he known what it was like, he would have identified it as a hangover at a rock concert.

opening his eyes to look for the Mizukage, all he could see was a pair of big shoes, attached to legs, attached to an equally large body, with a face he didn't recognice. smilling a sharptoohede grin the man knelt down so thát they were practically at shoulder-hight, or rather his sholderhight vs. the top of Naruto's head. The man was older than Naruto and had gray skin, facial scars, white hair and reptilian eyes. smilling slightly as he was being investigated, the older man started talking:

"Slept good Kiddo?"

Blinking a bit, before he nodded slowly in confusion, the olderman continued

"Good! Now, you're problably wonderin..." was as far as he got before Naruto interupted him

"Hey grandpa, whó're you?"

"I was about ot tell you that!"

"Then tell me gramps!" Naruto suddenly got a nervous look in the eyes, making him follow up with "You're not gonna knock me out like the oher one are you?" He shivered visibly at that, distancing himself from the larger man, almost dropping off the side of the bed.

exhaling exageratedly, the man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before he answered

"Firstly: my name is Choku Wani, secondly: **I'm** not gonna hurt you kid, thirdly: will YOU STOP THAT!" pointing accusingy at Naruto's shivering form. As if by magic Naruto began to relax at the news that he was not going to be hurt.

Seeing his demand fulfuilled, Choku let his shoulders sack and leaned towards Naruto to better make his point across

"I'm going to tell you something and I want no more interuptions, is that clear?"

Seeing the young man in front of him nod his understanding, Choku continued:

"Your seal have been repaired sligthly, that Ureshii kid from before couldn't finish it up immediatly since that takes more time than we have here, plus: he have a proposition for you" Stopping for dramatic effect, Choku raised a finger, pointing directly at Naruto's chest, both silencing him and giving him his complete and utmost attention. true he also did this to savour the moment as Naruto looked at him dumbfound

"Kiddo, how would you like to become a _Chunin_?"

* * *

><p>End of chapter 1.<p>

It's about time I posted this, planned to do it 3 weeks after I finnished the first story in this triology, but ended up with almost 3 months... 3 bloody months, sorry if people have been waiting

As for this chapter, I wanted Hinata to be angry at Naruto, and for her to feel more for him than that little devotion thing she got going on and love him despite of all his flaws or maybe because of them. Besides I for one thinks it's about time Naruto gets a second chance at the chunin rank.

if you've read this far and feel like reading more, do not worry I'll post more chapters soon, with action!

Next Chapter: Naruto's answer


	2. Naruto's answer

Naruto's answer

* * *

><p>(The Land of Waves, Nami No Kuni, in a small house by the water)<p>

A moment went by, then another, and finally a minute made its appearance, all in silence.

The large man in the room was starting to get irritated. He had heard that the Kyubi's Jinchuriki were an idiot, not that he was slow, and answering a simple question should not take this long. A while ago he had asked the boy if he wanted to become a Chunin, the answer should have come immediately, yet instead he found himself waiting for this blond fox-kid to make up his mind/connect the dots/respond in any way!

Assuming that The Boy in front of him had not understood the whole situation, he decided to reformulate his sentence. Something along the lines of: "Me: Choku Wani, You: Genin-Jinchuriki-idiot-brat, Me, give You: pro-po-si-tion! You, become, Chunin, Okay!" it sounded pretty good in his head so he decided to go with it.

Leaning forward, Choku prepared his simplified speech, closing his eyes and smiling, trying to look like a the Third Hokage (much could be said about him but he had had charm) and opened his mouth to start speaking:….

"HELLYEAH! WHENDOWESTART? COMEON! BRINGIT! 'Ttebayo!"

The sudden loud noise and the incoherent mass of words shouted directly into his face made Choku temporarily believe that he had opened a door to a storm, which made him react in a "fairly" natural way: Slam it shut! An act he partially regretted later on as he would have to wait for Naruto to wake up, yet again.

Luckily Naruto did react well to the old Water-splashed-into-face trick, awaking immediately, complaining shortly after and receiving yet another splash of water to shut him up. Much to Choku's dismay that didn't help one bit. Deciding against yelling back, he stayed his hand and waited for the boy to stop.

Only minutes later he changed his mind and slapped him to make him shut up. Yet again he was dismayed to find that such was not a successful way to end his endless jabbering. Quite the controrary.

Finally Choku managed to shut him up with a piece of bread slammed into his mouth, making him silent enough to hear Choku's answers:

a: That he wouldn't be alowed to fight yet!

b: Choku was not in charge of it.

c: Stop trying to speak with your mouth full!

Despite a sore start Choku was starting to like the boy, even after he had been hit several times and endured what ever it was Ureshii had been doing, he still just kept on going. Either by stupidity or sheer determination, Choku didn't really care, he simply couldn't wait to see what would happen under the examination!

* * *

><p>(Outside, in the village)<p>

Looking up at the sky made her feel at ease. The weather had cleared up and even The Kiri-guards had begun to relax as the storm had become a gently crisp evening breeze. Clutching her Knees to her chest assured that she would not freeze too much as she enjoyed this quiet moment.

Aside from Sakura-chan trying to cheer her up, fate had been rather fortunate for Hinata the last half-an-hour. Being reminded of being angry is not everyone's favorite exercise and bottling it up by saying that "it was nothing" didn't help much either.

Deciding she needed some Hinata concentrated her Byakugan to take in the entire area, to check for enemies or any other unusual activities. Some Iwa and Kumo-nin stood and compared weaponry, Iwa brandishing heavy spiked clubs while Kumo showed equally impressive blades of different shapes. Kankuro and Temari were eating and discussing something with Shikamaru (Hinata couldn't help but think that the scene would be prettier without Kankuro).

Focussing on higher ranking people, Hinata found herself getting surprised at the Raikage's ferocity as he smashed a table in two and yelled something at his attendants, causing them to swiftly scatter and do whaqt ever their leader just ordered them to. Seeing the Raikage starting to prowl the room he was in, looking like a caged animal made Hinata change the scene.

In a building not much further away, The Candidate Tsuchikage was also angry, yet she at least didn't smash a table or the one bowing in the dirt in front of her, the Iwa-nin Oshi Fushizen. Taking a searching look at Oshi revealed that he didn't look much pleased either, seemingly apologicing for some slight before bringing a peace offering of Dango and assorted fruits. Seeing them the Kage Candidate lit up in a happy(hungry) smile. As She accepted the treats, she soothingly patted Oshi's shoulder, in turn causing him to brighten up as well.

Becomming dissatisfied over this scenery, Hinata focussed on the Candidate Mizukage, who at the time was talking to a man she had not seen before, a man with a conical hat and a dark shirt with a grey apron looking flakjacket over it. A Kiri-headband hang around his neck and a scarbarded canesword lay in his lap. unlike his anxious companion this man seemed overtly happy, despite that he was obviously drying off from the rain. The Candidate Kage however was cold sweating while he instructed his companion, but by the end of the conversation, he smiled grimly in satisfaction, like a predator, assuming predators were scared egomaniacs. Hinata scolded herself for not learning how to read lips sooner, it really would have helped her alot, her cousin was so skilled at reading body language, but she wasn't. Yet! she reminded herself, reminicing that she had begun to learn it, but just had to focus on the whole Akatsuki thing and were forced to put it on hold.

Deciding to focus on Naruto's safehouse, Hinata found herself unable to scan the insides of the building, problably due to a seal or barrier or something like it to prevent detection. She however could see the outside of it and as she watched the door oppened to reveal Choku Wani's large form leaving, rudely shutting the door behind him before stomping off, seemingly growling somthing beneath his breath while looking angrily at the ground.

Remembering his fondness for her, it seemed to Hinata that she could talk to him about what might be going on amongst the Kage.

* * *

><p>Sitting back in the couch, Tsunade sighed in frustration. Dumb like a brick Naruto didn't understand that this proposition of a chunin-exam Kiri-style was not a chance for him to advance in rank, but a shot of prestige for Kirigakure, and thus the power position of Ureshii would sky rocket. He didn't care one bit for Naruto's rank only cementing his own power position and putting Konoha down. The other Kage were sure to not object, a defeat of a konoha-nin meant defeat of the village in one way or another.<p>

Yet the opportunity for Naruto to actualy win was not completely out of the picture, even despite the new seals that Ureshii had applied, which obviously took a good tool on his chakra and the access to the vast amounts of the Kyubi. A victory to Konoha would help boost morale even with Naruto being unpopular. It would also put Kiri down a notch and perhaps make Naruto's stay in the village a bit more comfortable.

Remembering how Naruto looked when she had come to check up on him, she was sure that he had been hit more than one time too many, not just by Ureshii's goons but propblably also by Choku who had given him the proposition. He had gone to tell Ureshii that Naruto had accepted and was very enthusiastic about it. Tsunade briefly wondered about who were going to precide over the examination and where The candidate Kage intended to set it up. Exactly what the Exam incorporated was a bit of a mystery, Tsunade had heard rumors of what it enticed but nothing was certain after it had been through enough mouths, even a firsthand source could easily be unreliable, it all depended on situation.

The rumours spoke of a duel, the exact rules had not been off, Ureshii had been tightlipped about it, only revealing that "all would be made clear" when the examination began. Tsunade had also been told that Sa-do had arrived on the island, she were certain to meet him soon enough, perhaps that old womanizer could reveal more of the puzzle.

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><p>Swearing inwardly at the task he had been given, Ittan proceeded to use his Doton: Chidokaku (Moving Earth Core) to lower yet another piece of land down a further 30 feet. He didnt' get why he had to do it, he just knew he had to follow orders from the candidate Tsuchikage after a request (and several servings of highclass food) from the candidate Mizukage.<p>

Looking around the wooded clearing he had lowered so far he noted the surroundings: Middle sized trees, nice big rocks, some small waterpuddles, a little lake with waterplants in it and a few patches of grass amidst a majority of muddy dirt. Nothing special really. Just a piece of land in the woods not far from town.

Around the area he had lowered however, some of the Kiri shinobi had started to put up benches and small pieces of fence at the edges of the hole he was making.

Scratching his head Ittan took a sip of water before he resumed his task, muttering under his breath: "What the heck do they need an arena for anyway?"

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><p>Walking swiftly through the village's street while monitoring her quarry's movements, Hinata slowed down, so as to "accidently" bump into Choku Wani and then subtly pump him for answers.<p>

Turning off her byakugan just as she rounded the corner, Hinata expected to smack into the larger man's abdomen, instead she fould herself hanging by the neck in an iron grip. Surprising another Shinobi was seldom a wise action, and to deliberatedly do so would be considered foolhardy at best. Deep-in-thought, Choku had been taken by surprise and had reacted accordingly, a talent that had saved his life more than once over a long and eventful carreer.

Choku's face were a mask of fury, eyes shining a bestial Yellow in the night. His other arm were poised to strike, fist balled, and without a shadow of doubt, capable of pulverizzing her head with minimal effort.

"Wani-sama!" Hinata's surprised outbust brought him back to his senses just as he was about to smash her face into the next month, startled he released his grip on her, giving her a long accusing stare while doing it.

"Dumb move, Hyuga-girl, very very dumb move, had I smashed your face in, you couldn't have been much fun later on!" shrinking beneath his berating tone and stare Hinata almost forgot why she had bumped into him.

"What the hell are you doing in this part of the village anyhow? this is way of the main street" seeing an opprtunity to riffle him for answers, Hinata recalled the cover she had rehearsed

"I-I came to see how Naruto-kun was doing, I was in a hurry and bumped into you Wani-sama, I'm deeply sorry!" bowing to hide her body language and her flustered features, Hinata waited for Choku to have the wished reaction, she did not need to wait long

"Save your time girl, You're not getting close to him any time soon"

"Why is that? Wani-sama"

"I told you not to call me that! no need for the damn honorifics with me girl, just Choku is fine"

"Sorry... Choku"

"And stop with all the stupid apologies! That's for the weak, proving oneself, are the way of the strong"

"Yes Choku, understood"

"Good, now where were we?"

"You were about to tell me why I could not go see Naruto-kun" Hinata dearly hoped that it worked and that Choku-san did not get suspicious, she had no intention of ending in that grip again

"No I wasn't" cursing inwardly at his response Hinata struggled to come up with another plan, and fast, while Choku seemed rather simple that by no means, meant that he was stupid, outsmarting him proved slightly tricky

Chuckling in front of her, Choku began to laugh deeply, boomingly even. Realizing that he had played a trick on her, Hinata relaxed a smiled gently as the elder man began to assert some selfcontrol. finally stopping, whiping a tear from his eye, Choku looked at her in an appreciating way.

"Already proving to be entertaining eh Hyuga?" still snickering Choku had begun to relax as well, his form looking like a piece of solid rock in the dimming light.

"But back to the status of Fox-kid" He said his words with an teasing glint in the eye, testing her yet again.

"His name is Naruto!" Hinata wasn't pleased, the older man still refered to him by that moniker, surely he had met him at this point.

"Is it now?" Smiling, Choku's form changed from relaxed to poised, clearly taking joy in pushing Hinata's buttons, perhaps even making her attack him.

"Naruto Uzumaki" the words came a little loud but Hinata didn't care. This constant talking back and forth did nothing to give her the answers she craved.

Chuckling at her tired and impatient expression, Choku waved a hand in the air, a simple gesture to ward off foul things

"No need to get upset youngster, your friend is all safe and sound with the Hokage, getting further treatment"

Looking relieved for a moment, before a thought hit her, Hinata quickly questioned him again

"For what injuries, Naruto-kun looked fione when I last saw him"

"Well... Ureshii's a bit rough when it comes to putting up seals, that's all, besides: that Kid's noisy like hell"

"Seals? What for?"

"Let me give you the whole story Hyuga..." a quick explanation about how seals could weaken and why it was neccesary to repair them later, Hinata wasn't much relieved. Much distressed was so much more like it.

"So, Naruto-kun is currently resting from the sealing performed on him by Mizukage-sama?"

"He's not Mizukage, he's a candidate for the job, aside from that: Yeah, he's supposed to be resting right now, no visitors, so knock it out of your head before it begins to fester"

blinking at him for a second, hinata realized that she was right before, the man wasn't stupid, simple and direct, but by no means stupid.

"Naruto-kun have been through a lot over the last few weeks..."

"Yeah, that too, but he needs to freshen up soon, he's gonna need all the strenght he got"

"Why, Choku?"

"oh yeah, you regulars havn't been told yet, have you, Boy's going to be tested" Smilling broadly, several spires of sharp teeth sparkled in the light, making Choku appear even more savage and animalistic. Hinata reminded herself that the man had taken a shine to her before proceeding.

"Testing? In his condition? When? Why?"

"Yeah kid was all up for it too, gotta like a knucklehead that want's to fight right off the bat"

Of course, Hinata thought inwardly, Naruto just had to go for it immediatly, that part (Nevermind, one of the them!) of him that made her shake her head the most and what made him ever so appealing in her eyes, he just didn't know when to stop. Alot like herself when she had stalked (followed) him.

"As for when: as soon as we're ready to start. As for why: reputation thing" Choku's further elaboration made Hinata cringe inwardly, Ureshii-sama really was a twisted person, putting a wounded shinobi through gruesome testing simply because he wanted his village/himself to look good in the eyes of others.

Gulping all the gall she felt at the moment, Hinata prepared for the question that had been nagging her for a while now:

"What is the test about?"

"Basically it's a Chunin exam, Kiri-style"

"Chunin exam? But that can take months! You don't have that many shinobi wiht you to form a whole paseable class do you?" puffing his chest a this Choku folded his arms over his chest, omiting a distint air of self-rigtheousness about him. He even scoffed at her before starting to speak(or lecture her, hard to know the difference really):

"Not being allied to any ather nations got it's advantages, for one: our Chunin exams can be performed for teams of genin, a team or for a single one, no problems at all!"

"I see... but do you have what you need to perform it here?"

"We will soon, I was on my way to see how preparations were going, come on, you look like you need something to do" He didn't wait to see whether Hinata was following him or not as he eagerly started to walk down the street in eastern direction.

Hinata had to agree, she needed to keep her mind off things and seeing what the preparations included would deffianetly calm some of her nerves. Yet, as she hurried after the larger shinobi, she realised, having said knowledge would most likely increase her stemming sense of foreboding.

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><p>end of chapter 2, to those who enjoy reading this story, I'm sorry I havn't updated as soon as I said I would, had a lot of work with university and all so I couldn't always find the time of day to write, I won't promise when next update will be, given that I have an obvious problem with keeping deadlines<p>

Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, next chapter will most likely be shorter than this one, Title: Sa-do, The Examinator!


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